 Commissioner Garrido and homeless advocates work tirelessly to address the affordable housing crisis. The Homes for All group is dedicated to finding solutions for those who have no home. They are currently finalizing a plan to place twelve tiny cottages on a property in South Kitsap. The village will be completely fenced, with a checkpoint at the entrance, and common buildings containing bathrooms and a kitchen facility. Generous professionals have donated their services to get the project through the permitting process.
The Homes for All team visited villages in Seattle and Olympia where they got a look at the operations and management. The residents follow a code of conduct and perform chores to keep the village running smoothly. Village meetings occur regularly to discuss problems, solutions and expectations.
For more information visit the Homes for All Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HomesforallKitsap/.
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League of Women Voters Homelessness Forum
The League of Women Voters convened a November forum in
Silverdale about perspectives on homelessness entitled “Where Are You Sleeping
Tonight?” The presentation included Commissioner Garrido, who spoke about Homes
for All and the efforts to develop tiny cottage villages in Kitsap County.
Other panelists were:
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Daryl Daugs, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Daugs facilitated the panel discussion and audience questions.
- Charlotte Sanders, from the University of Washington School of Social Work. She presented data and stories of individuals who experience homelessness in Seattle, providing an idea of the many faces of homelessness.
- Kirsten Jewell, Program Coordinator for Kitsap County’s Housing and Homelessness Program. Kirsten shared information about Kitsap County’s Homeless Housing Plan and projects the community is working on to make homelessness rare, brief, and one time locally.
- Sarah van Cleve, Housing Director for the Bremerton Housing Authority. Sarah shared stories of those who have no home and the difficulties faced in finding affordable housing in Kitsap County.
- Two individuals who have experienced homelessness told their stories with the group, bringing a face to the crisis.
Approximately 75 attendees were present, and gained valuable
insight about this situation. Hopefully what they learned about how to address the
face of homelessness will inspire even more creative solutions.
Point in time count
Twice a year, the Kitsap County Department of Human
Services and the Kitsap Continuum of Care Coalition conduct a ‘point-in-time’
count of people who have no home. This year, the winter count will occur the
week of January 23-26. Volunteers are needed for this important work, which
helps inform local, state and federal agencies about the scope of homelessness
in our county so adequate resources can be provided. If you’d like to
volunteer, please visit http://tiny.cc/PIT2018,
or call Cory Derenburger at (360) 337-7287.
Commissioner Garrido proudly attended the annual Kitsap
Heritage Family banquet on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners. Each
year, the Kitsap Historical Society honors four families who have made valuable
contributions to Kitsap County in the past. The Historical Society chose
families of diverse ethnic backgrounds this year: Native American, Japanese, Filipino
and Scandinavian.
- Martha Purser George & Bennie George Family
- Shigeko Nishinaka Kitamoto & Frank Kitamoto Family
- Asuncion Vergara Narte & Felix Narte Family
- Hilda Nelson Hansen & William Hansen Family
Commissioner Garrido presented each family with a framed “Kitsap
Heritage Day” Proclamation from the Board of County Commissioners, beside an
historic map of the family property.
For more information about this and other unique events
honoring Kitsap’s heritage, visit https://kitsapmuseum.org/.
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Kitsap Kids Talk to Astronaut
Commissioner
Garrido was honored to join 1200 middle and high school students and guests
from Kitsap County and neighboring districts as they spoke with Mark Vande Hei,
an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS). The downlink took
place on December 12 at the Galaxy Uptown Theater in Gig Harbor. Students asked
questions of Vande Hei about everything from cleaning the outside of the ISS,
to space junk, and how they sleep in space. Vande Hei says the things he misses
most about earth are his family, sunshine and wind. To view the video of the
conversation, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeO-4yqNO24.
In addition to their discussion with the astronaut, there were also talks with
a Navy admiral, an Army Lieutenant Colonel and Oceanography Professor John
Delaney from the University of Washington, who spoke about “Exploring Oceans on
Earth and Beyond.”
West Sound STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) organized the event. West Sound STEM is a collaboration of
educators, business leaders and representatives from the military and local government.
The organization introduces students to resources in the region to enhance learning
in STEM subjects and prepare them for jobs of the future. For more information
on this unique organization, visit their website at http://www.westsoundstem.org/.
Puget Sound Regional Council
Commissioner Garrido
has been active in exploring the potential for space sector employment in the
region along with the members of the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Economic
Development Board. Blue Origin, Spaceflight Industries and SpaceX have a
presence in the region, and more information will help understand growth
potential for the industry. PSRC will commission a space sector study to
identify the state and region’s assets for the sector and its potential. The
study completion is expected in Spring 2018. https://www.psrc.org/our-work/regional-planning/regional-economic-strategy/commercial-space-sector-study.
Sustainable Cinema, sponsored by Commissioner Garrido, presents On the Edge: Family Homelessness in America in January. The accounts of seven women who lost their housing for a variety of reasons, gives a snapshot of the connections between poverty, housing, social problems, family crises, and gender-related injustices. The film reveals their vulnerability and the difficult journey to recover.
Please join Commissioner Garrido and guests at the Dragonfly Cinema in Port Orchard on January 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Kitsap County was recently awarded a green star from
Nature’s Scorecard. The Washington Environmental Council and Puget Soundkeepers
developed this scorecard to offer a snapshot of how municipalities around the
Puget Sound region perform on measures to protect the health of Puget Sound.
Kitsap County is one of only five jurisdictions (and the only county!) to
receive a green star. This acknowledges that new code language adopted by the
Board of County Commissioners meets five key indicators: softening our
footprint, building with care, improving filtration, growing the right trees,
and maintaining buffers.
Commissioner Garrido says “In Kitsap, we have developed a
culture of viewing water as a resource. A low-impact development approach
allows us to work with the rain, rather than against it. This approach
protects, restores, conserves, and reclaims our water – and this scorecard
helps us know exactly where we stand in our region.”
For more information about Nature’s Scorecard,
visit https://naturesscorecard.com/.
The 27th Annual Human Rights Conference “Historical
Perspectives and Moving Forward Together” was held on December 15 at Olympic
College. The conference is presented by the Kitsap County Board of
Commissioners and the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights, and supported by
Olympic College, the United Way and WestSound Home & Garden magazine.
Clarence Moriwaki, the president of the Bainbridge Island
Japanese American Community and founder of the Bainbridge Island Japanese
American Exclusion Memorial Association, gave this year’s keynote message. Mr.
Moriwaki’s speech is entitled “History,
Healing, and Hope – The timeless – and timely – story of the devastating impact
of fear, prejudice, intolerance, and failure of political leadership during
World War II, and the hopeful, healing power of redemption to let it not happen
again.”
Other workshops focused on topics such as human
trafficking, equity in education, reconciliation and other human rights topics.
For more information on the Council for Human Rights, visit http://www.kitsapgov.com/boards/humanrights/council_for_human_rights.htm.
Fuel Depot celebrates 75 years
Commissioner
Garrido was present as the Navy celebrated 75 years of pumping fuel for
military operations from the Manchester Fuel Depot. The facility is the largest
military fuel facility in the continental United States, and the property has a
unique history.
Acquired in 1889, the site was used as a torpedo testing
station during World War I, and for storage of coal and oil for steam ships. It
was developed as a fuel depot in 1939, and given official recognition by
Congress in November 1942. During World War II it was used as a net depot and
firefighting school. The Depot received its first fuel delivery less than two
weeks after the attack at Pearl Harbor, when the U.S. entered World War II. Some
of the property was transferred to the State Park system to form Manchester
State Park in 1970. The 990-foot pier fuels ships and aircraft from military
bases all over the western United States, as well as tankers that fuel ships at
sea and for our allies around the Pacific Rim.
Robert Cairns, the retired Fuel Depot deputy director gave
the keynote speech, telling some great stories about the Depot. His successor,
Glenn Schmitt, made a special announcement at the end of the ceremony, saying
the World War II era underground cement storage tanks will be replaced with
modern, above-ground steel tanks that pose less environmental risk. The project
is in the preliminary planning stages, and will likely go before Congress for
approval in 2018, and start construction in 2021.
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Tree Lighting
Manchester’s community tree
celebrated the third year in its new home at q’aq’ad Park with a tree lighting
on December 3. Although cold out, spirits were high as the tree lit up, and
Santa arrived to chat with children about their gift requests.
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